Second-half goals from striker Nathan Ellington and Lee McCulloch brought Wigan a thoroughly deserved victory at the JJB Stadium but it was not quite enough to set the promotion party going.
Crewe's victory at Blackpool means the champagne is still on ice but the Latics could well be promoted tomorrow without kicking a ball if Cardiff fail to win at Chesterfield.
Wigan boss Paul Jewell still refuses to admit that his side will be playing first division football next season but one more victory will not only guarantee them promotion but also the second division title.
Wigan had to overcome a nervy start and a fierce Brentford onslaught, especially in the first half, when the visitors looked nothing like a side hovering on the brink of the relegation battle.
But for all their pressure they failed to trouble Wigan keeper John Filan and when Ellington showed how it was done with a super strike 11 minutes into the second half there was never any doubt about the outcome.
With the fans dancing in the stadium, Wigan began to show the type of football that has made them runaway division two leaders and McCulloch's clincher in injury time was the icing on the cake.